On November 25, 2022, about 0030 local time, the commercial fishing vessel Captain Alex was fishing in the Gulf of Mexico about 15 nautical miles south southwest of Galveston, Texas, when the vessel began flooding. The four crewmembers on board were unable to stem the flooding, and they abandoned the vessel to a responding US Coast Guard boat. The Captain Alex later sank, and an oil sheen and debris field were visible; a reported 17,000 gallons of diesel fuel were on board. There were no injuries. The Captain Alex, with a value of $500,000, was a total loss.
We determined that the probable cause of the sinking of the fishing vessel Captain Alex was uncontrolled flooding through a hole—possibly caused by steel hull plating deterioration—beneath the engine room.
Hull Examination and Maintenance
Periodic out-of-water examinations by qualified individuals such as a marine inspectors or surveyors can help determine the material condition of the vessel’s hull and identify areas of corrosion and fatigue. For steel-hulled vessels, regular gauging of the hull using ultrasonic testing is an effective nondestructive testing method for identifying material deterioration of plating.
